Voice of the people (letter).

A Criminal Solution To Crime

April 11, 1998|By Emily B. Hertz.

KANKAKEE — I cried this morning after reading the Chicago Tribune article "Locked Out from Life" (Front page, March 25).

I cannot believe that human beings think that imprisoning another human being's mind for one or two years will benefit or rehabilitate that person. I question the legitimacy of our actions in every way.

As citizens of Illinois, we are responsible --financially and otherwise--for those we choose to imprison. It is our money and our democratically selected consensus that deny these humans their lives and freedoms. So we are also entitled to stand up against and denounce their "legal" fate.

There is little evidence to suggest that prison sentences significantly deter crime, yet we continue to build more prisons. Now we have built Tamms, a prison that will close off "life" to each of its occupants for one to two years.

Don't the federal and state constitutions proclaim that every citizen has the right to be treated humanely and ethically? Is it humane to confine and isolate someone's mind for a year or more?

I also fail to understand how one could expect that prisoners placed in solitary confinement will interact "normally" or "better" with other human beings, after enduring minimal human contact for one to two years, unless, of course, we never plan to return these people to regular prisons?

I am disappointed that we would erect such a place in the name of the law and morality. I am also disappointed that crime continues to occur, and even more so with the fact that we continue to deal with crime in the same ineffective manner.

These people were not born criminals. It's more likely that something occurred in their lives that they were unable to cope with rationally. Now we've made these people our legal responsibilities and our reactions are no more rational than theirs.

"Worst of the worst." This statement reflects a change in the way we value human life. It's sickening to think that the plans for Tamms were partially initiated and carried out as a result of the "intuitive sense" of prison wardens and other officials.

I hope the developers carried out extensive scientific research on the effects of solitary confinement. We tend to dive head-first into short-term solutions--to welfare, social security and other problems--without thoroughly examining the long-term consequences.

Our yearly $35,000 per prisoner expense would be far more productive if it were used for alternative rehabilitative techniques rather than solitary confinement. The $17,500,000 annual expense at Tamms (if there are 500 prisoners) could be better spent on educational and psychological programs.